This invention relates to the Internet, and more particularly, to techniques for providing television program guide information and services with embedded real-time data to a user over the Internet.
A large number of television channels are available over cable television systems and satellite television systems. Television viewers have traditionally had to consult preprinted television program listings to determine which programs were scheduled to be broadcast on a particular day. More recently, television-based program guides have been developed that allow television viewers to view television program listings directly on their television sets.
For example, the Prevue® channel is a scrolling television program listings service that a cable system operator may make available to subscribers over a dedicated cable channel. Viewers can tune to the appropriate television channel to view program listings for television programs that are currently being broadcast and are scheduled to be broadcast in the next few hours. Although the Prevue® channel is a valuable service, the viewer is somewhat constrained by the passive nature of the service. For example, the viewer cannot view television listings for the next day or week.
As a result, more advanced television program guide services have been developed that allow a service provider to deliver television program listings data to a user's set-top box. The program listings data is typically delivered over the television cable system infrastructure (e.g., on a given television channel during the vertical blanking interval or over an out-of-band channel). Software in the set-top box allows the user to display the television program listings on the user's television set.
These program guide services allow the user to manipulate the television listings by searching or sorting through the listings using criteria such as genre, channel, and broadcast time. An example of such an interactive television program guide is the Prevue Express® guide of Prevue Networks, Inc. of Tulsa, Okla., the assignee of the present invention.
Although passive scrolling guides and interactive set-top box guides are useful sources of television program guide information, millions of users with personal computers were not able to obtain on-line television program listings using such systems. In addition, users were not generally able to view selected promotional video clips, interview segments, audio clips, or other multimedia material related to a given television program.
In order to meet these demands, television program guide systems that provide television program listings from a web server to a user's multimedia system over an Internet communication link were developed. For example, the Prevue Online® service available on the Internet at http://www.prevue.com from Prevue Networks, Inc. of Tulsa, Okla., the assignee of the present invention, provides television program listings over an Internet communication link. Users can gain access to the Prevue Online® web site on the Internet through any Internet service provider (such as through the WorldNet™ service available from American Telephone and Telegraph Company of New York, N.Y.). Once at the home page of the Prevue Online® service, the user may access information using commonly available web browser software.
Although Internet television program guide systems that provide television program listings from a web server to a user's multimedia system over an Internet communications link are useful sources of television program guide information, the user is somewhat constrained by the static nature of the information available. The user is able to determine from the television program listings that an event (e.g., a sporting event or other game) is in progress, but the user cannot view the current status of the event. For example, the user cannot receive real-time information about whether a game is suspended, whether the game is in overtime, the current score, etc.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a television program guide system that provides television program listings with embedded real-time data from a web server to a user's multimedia system over an Internet communications link.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a television program guide system that allows users to click on text or still images to view additional information related to the embedded real-time data.